On Monday, ESPN senior insider Shams Charania reported that unrestricted free agent Javonte Green “is finalizing a one-year deal with the Detroit Pistons.”
How Javonte Green Can Break Into Pistons Rotation
A six-year NBA veteran, Green holds career averages of 5.3 points, 3.1 rebounds and 0.8 steals in 16.8 minutes per game. Of the 263 games that he played, he started in 74. In those contests, he’s averaging 7.1 points, 4.3 rebounds, 1.2 steals and 0.9 blocks per game. Looking at team defense on-off metrics, the Virginia native has been in the 60th percentile or better in three of the last four seasons (h/t Cleaning the Glass).
In sum, Green is a replacement-level offensive player, especially with a career .338 3-point percentage. However, his team’s defense is typically better with him on than off, and in some cases far more than others. What makes him fit with the Pistons is that they’re leaning into their defensive foundation. Additionally, they have plenty of experience with perimeter players who aren’t big threats beyond the arc.
Predicting The Pistons Starters
Presumably, both Cade Cunningham and Jaden Ivey will enter next season as starters. With that being said, because Green is a low-usage defensive force, he’s the type of wing that could be a solid fit next to Cunningham or Ivey. It’s also worth noting that Green actually has a much better 3-ball than either Ausar Thompson or Ron Holland.
So, say that Green did start alongside Cunningham, Ivey, Tobias Harris and Jalen Duren.
Thompson and Holland would likely come off the bench behind Ivey and Green, respectively. Duncan Robinson and Isaiah Stewart would be the primary backups for Harris and Duren. Meanwhile, though he’s nominally a wing, Caris LeVert would become the team’s de facto backup point guard.
SF Carousel
Alternately, Green could come off the bench in favor of Thompson, Holland or even LeVert.
In Thompson’s case, the primary benefit would be his defense, as he’s even more devastating at that end than even Green. It would also preserve continuity. To that point, the Overtime Elite product has started in 86 of his 122 career games, with most of his appearances from the bench coming during a month-plus-long stretch in his rookie season. If Holland has leveled up though, becoming a consistent outside shooter, he could usurp Thompson. Then there’s LeVert, who’s sharper than either Thompson or Holland offensively, but not quite on par with them defensively.
However, starting LeVert would all but force Marcus Sasser into a role as Cunningham’s primary backup and probably push Green out of the rotation. There are worse things than having a savvy and well-coach ball-handler who’s a career 37.8 percent 3-point shooter in the rotation. He’s not even a poor defender though his height (6-foot-2) isn’t ideal.
The Last Word On Javonte Green
Ultimately, training camp and the preseason will be the best way to determine the starters and rotation. In those practices and exhibitions, the Pistons will get to see who plays best with who and which five-man unit is the most formidable.
Nevertheless, there are two questions that Detroit has to answer in regards to pushing for Green to have a regular role. The first is whether they would prefer having Sasser or LeVert as their backup point guard. The second is whether his talents would be more useful alongside the starters or in the second unit.
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